Spatial and temporal properties of cat geniculate neurones after prolonged deprivation.

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Abstract
Extracellular recordings were made from the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of monocularly deprived, dark-reared and normal cats. The spatial and temporal properties of the neuron were studied. The mean acuity of X-cells with receptive fields within 3.degree. of the area centralis was 3.9 c[cycles]/degree for deprived eye cells monocularly deprived cats, compared with 3.8 c/degree for normal cells. The mean activity of X-cells with receptive fields within 4.degree. of the area centralis was 4.3 c/degree for a dark-reared cat compared with 4.0 c/degree for a normal cat. The peak response rates of X-cells to their best spatial frequency were determined. The mean values for the normal, monocularly deprived and dark-reared populations were all similar. Measurement of the temporal frequency tuning of a number of cells was made. The mean peak temporal frequency for the dark-reared X-cells was lower than for monocularly deprived or normal X-cells. Results are discussed with reference to the location of the primary neural deficit induced by visual deprivation.